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I Elm-486,861.. v Patentedmoipzg; 1892.

WITNESSES: INVENTOH Isaac I. flocl /e ATTORNEY.

1N5 mums PETERS c0. movnu'mo. WASHINGTON, nv c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ISAAC F. DODGE, OF GOWEN, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO VALDEMAR O. THOMPSON, OF SAME PLACE.

POTATO-COVERER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 486,861, dated November 29, 1892 7 Application filed June 24, 1892.

To all whom it may-concern.-

Be it known that I, IsAAo F. DODGE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Gowen, in the county of Montcalm and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Potato-Ooverers and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to potato-coverers, and especially to that class designed to cover two rows at once; and its object is to provide the same with certain newand useful featu res, substantially as hereinafter described and particularly pointed out inthe subjoined claims.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating the invention, Figure 1 is a plan view of a device constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same, and Fig. 3 is avertical section on theline 3 3 of Figs. 1 and 2.

The same letters of reference designate the same parts in the several views.

A and A designate the coverers proper of my improved device, each of which consists of two scraper-bars a a, and a a, converging to a point at their rear ends and connected together near their front ends by a horizontal sill B. The under side of the rear end of each coverer where the bars thereof come together is formed with an opening to permit the accumulated soil to escape, and at said point the coverer is provided with an angle-plate J, which is formed on its under side with a shoe. J, which latter slides on the earth gathered by the coverer to which it is secured, packs said earth down over the row, and supports the device. Each of these angle-plates is secured to the coverer in a manner to permit it to be adjusted vertically thereon in order to regulate the depth of action and amount of earth gathered by the coverer by means of bolt 0, which pass through elongated slots in said plates. The bars do. and a a are also provided on their inner sides with metallic strips or plates I I I I, which serve as scrapers. These plates are vertically adjustable on Serial No.4=3'7,919- (N model.)

the bars by similar means and for similar purpose as the angle-plates J. The sills B of both coverers are secured to atransverse main sill B, which serves to connect the coverers together and to strengthen the structure. In order that the coverers proper may be adjusted to and from each other to adapt the device to the distance between the rows to be covered, the sills B are adj ustably secured to the sills B, preferably by means of bolts O, passing through slotted openings therein or in the sill B. To still further strengthen the structure, I provide each coverer A A with one or more pairs of bars G, the outer ends of which are secured to the respective barsa and a and the inner ends of which overlap and are adj ustably secured together by a screwclamp H.

It will be observed that the inner bars a and a extend beyond the forward side of sill B, while the outer bars a and a do not, and that said outer bars are shorter than saidinnerbars. This construction is deemed advisable, because if the outer bars of each covererA and A extended forward of the sill B it would 7 be liable to come in contact with the earth for the row next adjacent to that which it is covering; but if preferred allof the bars aa a a may be of the same length and either extend beyond the front side of the sill B or not, as desired.

The thills (not shown) to which the animal supplying the motive power is connected are secured to the device in such position as to bring said animal between the rows of potatoes, and said thills may be attached to eyes D D, secured to sill B, or to any other suitable means with which the device may be provided.

E E designate rearwardly and inwardly in clinedposts, which are secured at their inner ends, respectively, to the outer bars a and a and are connected at their outer ends by a transverse handle-bar F, adj ustably secured thereto by set-screws E, thereby providing a means by which the device may be guided and lifted by the operator.

The operation and advantages of my invention will be readily understood from the above descriptionnwhen read in connection with the drawings, and a detailed statement thereof is therefore deemed unnecessary.

Having now described my invention, I claim-- 1. In a potato-coverer, two pairs of converging scraper-bars having vertically-adjustable ang1e-plates and shoes, each pair also being adjustably secured to a transverse beam,and overlapping bars attached at their respective outer ends to the adjacent scraper-bar and adj ustably secured at theirinner ends to each other.

2. In a potato-coverer, the combination of a transverse beam, two pairs of converging scraper-bars adj ustably attached thereto, bars attached at their outer ends to the respective scraper-bars and overlapping each other at their inner ends, and means for adjustably attaching said last-mentioned bars together.

3 In a potato-coverer, the combination of the converging scraper-bars, vertically adjustable plates I and I, secured 'to the inner sides thereof, and a vertically-adjustable angle-plate secured to the scraper-bars at the place of junction thereof, said angle-plates having a shoe at their inner sides, substantially as described.

4. The combination, in a potato-coverer, of the converging bars secured together at their inner ends and formed at the point of junction with a recess, vertically-adjustable angleplates secured to said bars adjacent to said recess and having a shoe at their lower ends, and vertically-adjustable scraper-plates, also secured to said bars, all substantially as described, and for the purposes specified.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ISAAC F. DODGE.

I Witnesses:

O. A. PEASLEY, AUGUST VOGEL. 

